Posts Tagged ‘CAT-i’

Wildfire activity has rendered especially severe impacts to certain areas of California since October 8, including areas of Napa, Sonoma and Solano Counties. Wildfire activity has also rendered impacts to areas of Orange County east of the Los Angeles Metro area. Rates of extreme fire spread were enabled by especially dry conditions together with offshore gusty winds to burn a total of at least 217,566 acres since October 8. Media reports indicate at least 41 fatalities, making this the deadliest series of fires in California history. At least 5,700 structures have been destroyed and thousands more remain under threat. Containment efforts have made significant progress in the last week, thanks to efforts of at least 10,000 firefighters and reduced winds. Cooler conditions with an increase in moisture are expected this week with a chance for some precipitation over Northern California, according to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS); this should support containment efforts. It will take some time to fully ascertain the full scope and severity of this event, and our first thoughts and concerns are with those lost and directly affected.

Wildfire activity has recently rendered severe impacts to areas of California, including the Napa Valley area as well as areas east of the Los Angeles Metro area. The event is still developing, but media reports indicate more than a thousand structures burned with thousands more still under threat. At least 13 fatalities have been reported. Rates of extreme fire spread have been enabled by especially dry conditions together with offshore gusty winds.

Hurricane Nate made landfall on October 7 near the mouth of the Mississippi river and then near Biloxi, Mississippi as a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Maximum sustained winds at landfall were 85 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Nate is the fourth hurricane to make U.S. landfall in the past two months and the first hurricane to make landfall in Mississippi since Hurricane Katrina (2005).

Hurricane Maria has affected areas of the Caribbean as a severe Category 4 or 5 hurricane, rendering severe damage due to wind and flood to areas including Dominica, Saint Croix and Puerto Rico. At least seventeen fatalities have been reported by media along with 20 missing and these numbers may rise as the most severely damaged areas become accessible. Severe to complete damage has been reported in Dominica. Variable damage to property and infrastructure has been reported in Puerto Rico, and power and drinking water have been compromised, with media reports that the entire island is without power. Our first thoughts and concerns are with those lost and directly affected by this event.

A magnitude (Mw) 7.1 earthquake struck near Raboso, Mexico yesterday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The quake occurred at 1:14 p.m. local time (18:14 UTC), with Mexico City approximately 122 kilometers (75.9 miles) southeast of the epicenter.

Hurricane Irma was a large and destructive storm that rendered impacts to most of the Southeast United States including the Florida Keys as well as areas of the Caribbean. Impacts for areas of the Northern Leeward Islands and the Virgin Islands, as well as northern Cuba have been especially severe. For the United States, the most severe impacts have been in the Florida Keys due to both wind and storm surge, with flood impacts as far away as coastal Georgia and northeast Florida. Wind impacts extend from Tennessee to the Carolinas to Florida. At least 67 fatalities have been reported. It will take time to fully assess the full scope and severity of this ongoing event, and our first thoughts and concerns are with those directly affected.

Hurricane Irma affected areas of the Caribbean and northern Cuba as a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, while also passing near Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. Impacts in areas of the northern Leeward Islands and northern Cuba have been especially severe. While affecting northern Cuba, Irma weakened to a Category 3 hurricane before turning north towards the Florida Keys.